Coldwell Banker Hickok and Boardman Realty

An interesting business opportunity has slid on to the plate of Burlington multifamily property owners.

Photo: Building performance specialist Jeremy King inspects a Burlington multifamily property for heat fluctuation using an infrared camera.

There's been a long time tug-of-war between Burlington landlords and tenants. Why would a Burlington landlord fret over a tenant's high heating bill? On the contrary, why would a tenant give thought to maximizing a landlord's long-term investment in their property?

The simple answer: neither does. And that's exactly why numerous Burlington multifamily properties have been neglected as far as improvements go in the past years.

Energy Champ, a program developed by Vermont Gas Systems and Burlington Electric Department, is a possible solution to the predicament. The program is split into two stages. Stage one for a landlord is having energy auditors conduct a walkthrough of the entire building. The auditors use tools such as infrared cameras to determine how well the structure retains heat, and calculate the investment a landlord would need to make to achieve total heat efficiency. Stage two of the program for the landlord is making the improvements suggested by the auditors.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Vermont Gas Systems and the Burlington Electric Department will cover up to 75% of the total improvement cost the landlords incurr.

This has created an awesome opportunity for Queen City landlords. Not only can they do their part in making our planet energy efficient, but they can keep tenants in their properties longer as tenants tend to stay in an apartment longer the lower the heating bill is. They also have a darn good chance at increasing the resale value of their property more so than what they invested in Energy Champ.

Comments

For years the competition to land a boat slip on the Burlington waterfront has been cut throat. Developers Jack Wallace and Chuck DesLauriers decided to do something about it by planning a private 160 slip marina for late 2017 or early 2018. The two developers and the Burlington City Council have just come to an agreement on lease terms. They’ll have to pay the city $27,500 plus 5% of revenues over $565,000 the first year, and $55,000 plus 5% of revenues over $1,130,000 in subsequent years in order to operate the private marina on public land. Included in the marina would be a lengthy floating breakwater that would serve as a public walkway allowing pedestrians to walk a decent distance on to the lake. Many Burlington officials have been “on the fence” about this project for some time. However, everyone is now in agreement that the development will change Burlington for the better.

Comments

Photo: Plans forthenew Crescent connector beginning at Park St, passing through Maple St, and connecting after the soon to be pedestrian portion of Main St.

Nobody would be surprised to hear that Five Corners in Essex has an intersection state performance rating of an “F”. In fact, many would be in support of that grade due to the numerous hours we’ve all wasted sitting at one of the lights there over the past years. Planning for how to combat this has been going on for years, and now there is something to show for it: The Crescent Connector Bypass. The bypass would start before Five Corners on Park Street, pass through Maple Street, and connect to Main Street, the end of which is being converted to a walking street. This would ultimately turn Five Corners into “Four Corners” and it would create a pedestrian street (much like Burlington’s Church Street although a bit shorter) in the section of Main Street/Route 15 out front of Martone’s Market & Deli and Fiori Bridal Boutique.

Comments

Great Hosmer Pond has been a significant part of the Craftsbury, VT community since the mid 40’s when lakefront cabin development began. This serene hideaway allowed residents to enjoy the lake all summer on their boats as well as along the shoreline.

Fast forward to 1976 when Russell Spring founded the Craftsbury Outdoor Center – primarily focused on sculling (a.k.a. rowing). The outdoor center thrives simply due to the fact that Great Hosmer Pond is “the greatest place on Earth to scull, end of story” according to managing director Troy Howell.

However, as of late, there’s been some resistance to the COC. Motorboats and scullers simply cannot coexist on a lake as narrow as Hosmer. There isn’t enough room. The lake is only 160 feet wide at its broadest part, which would typically mean motor boats were prohibited on the body of water. However, since the lakefront properties date back to the 40’s and 50’s the use of motorboats has been grandfathered in.

Managing director Troy Howell again explains, “If there are 40 to 50 scullers on the lake, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to water-ski.” “By the same token, if there are even three motorboats on the lake functioning at high speeds, it’s virtually impossible to scull.”

The conflict in Craftsbury is at a breaking point, and if a solution isn’t found soon it might boil over.

Shared access to public facilities hasn’t been particularly troublesome in Vermont up until this point due to our low population density. However, as more and more patrons begin to summer in Vermont and use our lakes it’s a problem we could see arise more frequently.

For any of your real estate questions or concerns contact Steve Lipkin and the LipVT team at Steve@LipVT.com or 802-846-9575.

Comments

For years the competition to land a boat slip on the Burlington waterfront has been cut throat. Developers Jack Wallace and Chuck DesLauriers decided to do something about it by planning a private 160 slip marina for late 2017 or early 2018. The two developers and the Burlington City Council have just come to an agreement on lease terms. They’ll have to pay the city $27,500 plus 5% of revenues over $565,000 the first year, and $55,000 plus 5% of revenues over $1,130,000 in subsequent years in order to operate the private marina on public land. Included in the marina would be a lengthy floating breakwater that would serve as a public walkway allowing pedestrians to walk a decent distance on to the lake. Many Burlington officials have been “on the fence” about this project for some time. However, everyone is now in agreement that the development will change Burlington for the better.

Comments

Photo: Plans forthenew Crescent connector beginning at Park St, passing through Maple St, and connecting after the soon to be pedestrian portion of Main St.

Nobody would be surprised to hear that Five Corners in Essex has an intersection state performance rating of an “F”. In fact, many would be in support of that grade due to the numerous hours we’ve all wasted sitting at one of the lights there over the past years. Planning for how to combat this has been going on for years, and now there is something to show for it: The Crescent Connector Bypass. The bypass would start before Five Corners on Park Street, pass through Maple Street, and connect to Main Street, the end of which is being converted to a walking street. This would ultimately turn Five Corners into “Four Corners” and it would create a pedestrian street (much like Burlington’s Church Street although a bit shorter) in the section of Main Street/Route 15 out front of Martone’s Market & Deli and Fiori Bridal Boutique.

Comments

Great Hosmer Pond has been a significant part of the Craftsbury, VT community since the mid 40’s when lakefront cabin development began. This serene hideaway allowed residents to enjoy the lake all summer on their boats as well as along the shoreline.

Fast forward to 1976 when Russell Spring founded the Craftsbury Outdoor Center – primarily focused on sculling (a.k.a. rowing). The outdoor center thrives simply due to the fact that Great Hosmer Pond is “the greatest place on Earth to scull, end of story” according to managing director Troy Howell.

However, as of late, there’s been some resistance to the COC. Motorboats and scullers simply cannot coexist on a lake as narrow as Hosmer. There isn’t enough room. The lake is only 160 feet wide at its broadest part, which would typically mean motor boats were prohibited on the body of water. However, since the lakefront properties date back to the 40’s and 50’s the use of motorboats has been grandfathered in.

Managing director Troy Howell again explains, “If there are 40 to 50 scullers on the lake, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to water-ski.” “By the same token, if there are even three motorboats on the lake functioning at high speeds, it’s virtually impossible to scull.”

The conflict in Craftsbury is at a breaking point, and if a solution isn’t found soon it might boil over.

Shared access to public facilities hasn’t been particularly troublesome in Vermont up until this point due to our low population density. However, as more and more patrons begin to summer in Vermont and use our lakes it’s a problem we could see arise more frequently.

For any of your real estate questions or concerns contact Steve Lipkin and the LipVT team at Steve@LipVT.com or 802-846-9575.

Comments

An interesting business opportunity has slid on to the plate of Burlington multifamily property owners.

Photo: Building performance specialist Jeremy King inspects a Burlington multifamily property for heat fluctuation using an infrared camera.

There's been a long time tug-of-war between Burlington landlords and tenants. Why would a Burlington landlord fret over a tenant's high heating bill? On the contrary, why would a tenant give thought to maximizing a landlord's long-term investment in their property?

The simple answer: neither does. And that's exactly why numerous Burlington multifamily properties have been neglected as far as improvements go in the past years.

Energy Champ, a program developed by Vermont Gas Systems and Burlington Electric Department, is a possible solution to the predicament. The program is split into two stages. Stage one for a landlord is having energy auditors conduct a walkthrough of the entire building. The auditors use tools such as infrared cameras to determine how well the structure retains heat, and calculate the investment a landlord would need to make to achieve total heat efficiency. Stage two of the program for the landlord is making the improvements suggested by the auditors.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Vermont Gas Systems and the Burlington Electric Department will cover up to 75% of the total improvement cost the landlords incurr.

This has created an awesome opportunity for Queen City landlords. Not only can they do their part in making our planet energy efficient, but they can keep tenants in their properties longer as tenants tend to stay in an apartment longer the lower the heating bill is. They also have a darn good chance at increasing the resale value of their property more so than what they invested in Energy Champ.